Disturbing narrative underscores shootings

Residents live with random violence, reality that black males are most likely group to be charged with violent crimes by youth

At first, Willa McGee thought someone was firing a cannon outside her home.

Then someone upstairs screamed.

A bullet went through a wall and struck McGee's 26-year-old niece. She was lying on a bed when it pierced her leg. McGee's 12-year-old nephew had just left the room when the shooting started.

It was the first of two reports of drive-by gunfire on the 100 block of South Elm Street on the night of June 27. More shooting followed about two hours later, then more two days later. In total, six homes, three vehicles and McGee's niece were hit by bullets.

What's not surprising are the suspects: three young black males, two of them 16 years old and the third 20.

With their arrests, the trio became part of two consistent realities in Durham: Teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 25 account for a disproportionate share of all arrests in connection with violent crimes, and the majority of those charged are African-American males.

Since 2001, youth have accounted for about 36 percent of all arrests in Durham and 37 percent of violent-crime arrests, according to an analysis of police data by The News & Observer. Those percentages have remained steady even as total arrests declined 21 percent over the past seven years.

People aged 16 to 25 account for 66 percent of armed robbery arrests and 63 percent of arrests for murder.

Murder victims and those arrested for murder are both heavily represented in this age group. In 2007, half of those killed and 16 out of 30 named homicide suspects last year were under 25. This year, five out of 15 homicide victims and 10 out of 17 named suspects are 25 or younger.

Many of Durham's recent crime headlines have been youth-related, including a 19-year-old accused of shooting the 18-year-old mother of his son, a 16-year-old arrested for shooting a 10-year-old in the head and an 18- and 20-year-old charged with multiple robberies.

Even though youth violent-crime arrests fell 36 percent between 2001 and last year, crimes involving youth continue to stick out for their randomness and severity.

Little solace for victims

Violent crimes often have lasting effects on their victims, and that is certainly the case with three South Elm Street residents, whose sense of security and safety were shaken by the shootings in June.

The 100 block is actually two blocks in length, but one block in particular showcases East Durham's gradual transition. The odd-numbered side consists of older homes, while the even side has newer townhomes. The area, bordered by Main Street and Angier Avenue, is right across the railroad tracks from downtown but is near the epicenter of Operation Bulls Eye, a two-square-mile area that has been the focus of a city crime-fighting effort for the past year.

Willa McGee, 51, knew South Elm Street was rough when she moved to one of the townhomes in May.

The townhomes not only represent a push by city officials to revitalize the neighborhood, but for McGee, a new start. She lived in transitional housing for almost a year before moving to South Elm Street in May.

After returning from a convenience store about 11 p.m. on June 27, McGee sat by her kitchen window to watch TV.

She believes an angel told her to move from that window. Moments later came the gunshots.

"I can't even describe how loud it was," she said. "It made me scared to move."

David Gupton, resting in an upstairs bedroom a few doors down, thought someone was throwing rocks at his house. It wasn't until police knocked on his door that he realized it was bullets. Seven hit his home. One shattered a window.